


What-If: Jack AI

by JTWLostEchoLogs (QueerZubat)



Series: Brokenverse AU (BLTW drabbles) [4]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Angst, But probably Jack went a litte bit ooc too, Eridium fucks you up, Gen, I'm Bad At Tagging, Jack being Jack, Not Canon Compliant, Swearing, Trauma, What-If, Working at Hyperion sucks, but I wanted a concerned Jack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:26:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27990720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueerZubat/pseuds/JTWLostEchoLogs
Summary: Two chapters = two drabbles of awhat-ifI wrote for my fanfiction since I was wondering how my oc JT would interact with Handsome Jack's AI if he found the chip.
Relationships: Handsome Jack AI & Original Male Character
Series: Brokenverse AU (BLTW drabbles) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2047460





	1. Don't you recognize me?

**Author's Note:**

> There are a couple of scenes missing between the two parts posted, so the flow is a bit off because of that... but I felt that it was better posting them as two chapter of a single work since they are from the same short.

The blueish hologram blinked his eyes a couple of times and looked at himself and then at the two people – well at the man and that patchwork of rusted loader parts – in front of him, just on the other side of a desk on which there was a computer, an old Hyperion-branded Echo device, many tools and his small lighted-up A.I. chip connected to the computer.

«How dare you call me old crap?!» boomed the hologram «And why a fucking bandit is messing with my stuff?!»

Jack looked at the man in messy clothes dirtied by rust and grease. Probably he was of medium height – but wasn’t sure since the other was sitting at the desk – and looked like he had a muscular build. Not too much, but the body of someone who worked out. He had shoulder-length messy hair, brown with locks of an unusual purplish-white, that where styled in a half bun on the back of his head. The face of the man could have had delicate and young-looking features if it was not heavily marked with dark scars. One brown eye and the other was milk-white, probably blind. Left ear mangled. Dark scars – even those had a weird purple hue after taking a better look – that seemed to continue from the face towards the rest of the body… or at least were on his neck and both his arms. The man’s right arm was an old and weathered Hyperion prosthetic starting from a bit after the elbow to the hand, same robotic hand that was lifted to scratch lazily the scar under the blind eye.

For Jack’s eyes, that man was unknown but at the same time he felt _eerily familiar_ … but wasn’t able to pinpoint what about that man caused that feeling. He couldn’t avoid being _confused_.

«I dare because you are old crap, cupcake» sneered the man, lowering the right hand and fixing his good eye on Jack «And...wow, still feels weird being called bandit! But I guess it’s what I am now.» commented, moving the shoulders in a slight shrug. «And I love the confused expression you have, sweetcheeks.» smirked «I also hate it. _It irks me that you can’t recognize me_...but it’s been years. You are a fucking A.I. copy, maybe you didn’t code all your memories or god knows what the fuck you did. And also I’m...» the scarred man looked at his robotic arm for a moment before returning his gaze on the blueish hologram «...quite _changed_ ».

At those words, a bunch of different emotions appeared on his face. Irritation, anger, rage for the tone the other used, confusion – maybe also surprise – at that familiar feeling and those demeaning nicknames that he himself uses.  
_Wait._ The bandit said recognize? _Why a Hero like him should remember some bandit scum?_ He was someone he faced? No, he didn’t look like one of those damned Vault Hunters that killed the Warrior, killed him, _killed his daughter_ … and why a bandit would have one of those prosthetics that were made and reserved for Hyperion workers? Maybe he was an employee back when he was CEO of Hyperion? _But none of his employees was able to stand up to him without suffering any consequences…_ and that mocking tone, those mannerisms so similar to his own… no, it couldn’t be one of his body-doubles: they were specifically selected and went under modifications to look like the one and only Jack. This one at the best could’ve been a sort of knock-off copy…

A knock-off copy!

Jack’s eyes widened in shock and moved a couple of steps towards the man, not even noticing that his holographic body was getting cut in half by the desk.  
«You...you are Jamison?!» his voice was quavering in surprise.  
That scarred gruff man with a cold gaze and an abrasive tone was really _that_ Jamison?

The man’s smirk widened in a full-fledged smartass grin «The one and only, my dear digital pumpkin» replied to the A.I., doing finger guns.

Handsome Jack’s hologram frowned, opened and closed the mouth a couple of times. Then he reached out trying to grab Jamison’s face between his hands, but he couldn’t because of his digital nature. Jack groaned: he couldn’t feel the engineer’s skin under his hands and neither touch him in any way, but he instinctively tried to anyway. Jack hunched over the other to give him a closer look. To take a better look at the man he used to know so many years before, to look at how he changed and who he is now.  
On his face, there still was that concerned expression that was so uncharacteristic of him.  
«What happened? Who has done this to you?» asked, voice almost a whisper, hands trembling slightly.


	2. Fake Excuses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A follow-up of the previous drabble posted of the _what-if_ I wrote about my oc JT and Jack AI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As stated in the previous drabble, there are a couple of scenes missing between the two parts posted. So, the flow is a bit off because of that... but I felt that it was better posting them as two chapter of a single work since they are from the same short.

The ex-Hyperion employee, changed his sitting position on the couch to be able to keep the good eye on the digital clone of his former boss. «You remember that promotion you gave me? Making me a Supervisor and sending me down here on Pandora? In the Blight region? To work on the Loader Maintenance Depot and check on a couple of plants of the pipeline?»

The A.I. nodded.

«To keep it short and to the point: the Vault Hunters and those Crimson Raiders attacked the pipeline to stop the Eridium’s flow and also to find a way to stop your fucking plans. I got mauled by one of ‘em, a fucking buff psycho» Jamison interrupted the narration to get another little sip of whisky «And in the chaos, we didn’t see in time some grenades that were thrown by those fuckers… everything exploded, some tanks of refined liquid eridium and...I don’t know I think also some barrels of slag...broke and flooded everything.»

Jack – that was rising his digital glass of liquor – stopped his motion midway «...what?!»

«Many people died, I was lucky enough to be tough enough to still hold onto my life and to be a higher-up that gave me some priority when the Emergency helpers came. Still, I spent a fuckton of time in a coma and hospitalized before being good enough to be discharged.» this time Jamison was playing with the glass he was holding, his gaze left Jack’s face to stare into the glass «The dark scars? Left by the liquid eridium. It burned, corroded my flesh almost to the bone… that’s also how I lost my eye and my ear. The Eridium also poisoned my body, so my health now is fucked up».  
He then lifted his head and pointed his gaze back to the digital Handsome Jack «The arm and this thin scar on my forehead? That’s Vault Hunters’ fault.» said, concluding his quick narration of the events that lead to his current physical conditions. «I’m too a member of the “I went to hell and back” club, princess. _Cheers_.» added, lifting his right robotic hand holding the glass in a sort of offering a toast to the other.

«I’m sorry for what happened to you» apologized the digital Handsome Jack, lowering his gaze towards the floor.

Jamison howled a laugh at those words, free hand moving to grip his stomach while he leaned back on the couch. Right leg stomping a couple of times on the floor.

«Oh, my!» exclaimed Jamison trying to get a hold of himself and to calm his laughter «That was a fucking funny one, pumpkin!» chuckled the ex-Hyperion worker, pointing his gaze back to the digital copy of his former boss.

«W-why are you laughing?! I’m being honest here!» rebuked Handsome Jack, looking at Jay with eyes wide in surprise and a hand balled up in a fist out of anger for the reaction of the other.

«Yeah, sure.» nodded JT «Everyone understood _that all of us were expendable assets_ to you, y’know? Everyone could be replaced if needed. _Me included_.» He sipped again some whisky from the glass that was still holding. «So, don’t fucking lie saying that you’re sorry and other shit like that. You never cared about anyone except yourself.»


End file.
